Origins
by Spencer Quinn
Summary: Ever wondered how Bush Rescue came to be? How did the team start out? Well, here's the answer. I'll be throwing my OCs in this too so be warned. Enjoy!


**Origins**

**A/N: Okay, I got this idea from a picture I put up on DeviantArt. This story is set 18 years ago when Boss Cass planned to send every warm-blooded creature to the Dreaming, and this is how the team (including my OCs) became the heroes they are today. **

**Also****,**** just a Quick note that their personalities are slightly different to how they are now. Their upbringing will determine their attitude towards others in the present day****.**

**First off, we start with Plat and Ridge. Enjoy! ;)**

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_Not long ago, a great battle ripped across the borderlands of Southern Rivers against a power-driven cassowary by name of Boss Cass__,__ and the Tasmanian Tigers; the fighters of the land. Only little had been reported after the battle—the five mystical Bunyip Talismans had been removed from their rightful positions, and the many Tasmanian tigers that fought against Cass had simply vanished…_

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Meanwhile, at the same time, two Tasmanian tigers—one with cream-colored fur and the other with dark grey fur—ran across the murky outback. This was the first time in months that it had rained out here—and it was the heaviest it rained since the last downpour ten years ago, apparently. This was their first time in two days that they were stepping out of hiding—since their hiding place was flooded by the rainwaters, they had to find a new place of residence.

"Hold on a second. Something's wrong here," the dark-furred tiger muttered, looking around. His companion looked over at him.

"Really? What?"

As he scanned the environment, he facepalmed in annoyance. "Plat we've been past here _three times_ now," the elder reported, frustration niggling into his voice.

"Really?" Plat squinted through the pelting rain and pivoted her head. "It's kind of hard to tell in this weather, Ridge." She was glad her parents and her older sister had taught her about tracking and plants. She was also glad that her brother was with her too—his sense of direction was more qualified than hers at the moment.

"Look, that tree is in the same place," Ridge determined, pointing at a sprouting eucalyptus tree. "We've been walking in circles!"

_Eucalyptus… _"Hey, do you think any koalas live around here, bro?"

"Probably do. If we don't find anywhere else to hide by tonight, we'll knock off here."

Plat nodded. "Koalas aren't mean are they?"

Ridge couldn't help but smirk at that. "No. Don't worry. They're not bad, sis," he assured.

Plat nodded, relieved. But then she heard a snap and instinctively flung her arm out and hit her brother on the chest to get him to stop moving. Ridge heard it too and froze automatically. "Plat, hide, now," he said urgently.

His little sister did as she was told and jumped behind the tree and peered out from behind the trunk. Ridge looked around suspiciously, bringing out the new boomerang his father had made him. He ducked behind the long grass just before the outskirts of Rainbow Cliffs, peeping his head over the blades of grass to see a squad of reptiles patrolling the area. For once during their little trip, the dark tiger was glad that it was raining. The water would be enough to hide his and Plat's heat signatures.

He tried to sneak through the rushes, rangs brandished, prepared to knock out any frill who tried to get him. It was then that Ridge caught sight of the frill that had snuck up behind him.

"I found one! Over here!"

But before the lizard got a hold of the tiger, he scurried out of the way. While the team was trying to get their bearings, Ridge had gone back for Plat and pulled her away before they could find out what the two siblings were doing.

"It got away!" another update came a little while later. The duo ran as fast as they could, out of a Blue Tongue's sight. The Blue Tongue turned around to scan the area, giving Ridge the chance to scoop up Plat and run like there was no tomorrow into the outback.

_We're safe…_

"Did we make it?" Plat asked as they ran further away from the marauding frills.

"Not yet. We still need to find a place for tonight," Ridge panted, placing her on the ground.

Plat sighed in irritation and trekked through the sludge that used to be sand, staying behind her brother for defense from the thrashing rain. Ridge did what he could do to shield her, but it didn't help very much. He did remember that their sister Brolga had given them a blanket before the rush to help fight with their parents at Rainbow Cliffs—he tore out the quilt and threw it back at his youngest sister, who within the chaos lost direction and ran into a bush.

"What is this?" she squeaked, scrambling to her feet and holding the blanket in front of her.

"Wrap it over your head, then the rain won't hit you," he told her. She let out a gauche noise and pulled the quilt over her head and bunched it around her shoulders. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

"How can you tell?"

"I just know it, alright?"

The tigress shrugged and ran to catch up to her older brother.

By this point, the two had made it to a rocky marshland that used to be a barren region. But this place was laden in trees. Plat sniffed the air, picking up on a strong smell even though it was weakened by the freshwater—eucalyptus.

"Are we in the same place?" she asked, puzzled.

"No, there's more trees here, sis."

"So we're safe?"

The dark-furred tiger flinched when he heard a snapping sound. He quickly shoved Plat into the bushes, causing her to cry out.

"Ridge what're you doin—?" she shrieked in alarm. Abruptly, the elder struck a hand on her mouth and she quietened.

"Plat, I need you to stay quiet."

"But—"

"Shh! It'll be okay, I promise. You just need to be brave, stay low, and be quiet. Don't move from this spot, whatever happens. Okay?" After a few seconds, the young tigress nodded and hugged her brother. Ridge bit his tongue and placed her back in the bushes, concealing her from sight.

The tiger found that a whole army of lizards had been patrolling this area with torches lit, and getting ever closer to the little cub in the bushes. _Sorry Plat,_ he noted mentally before jumping out into plain sight where the army could see him.

"Hey! You frills aren't doing your jobs!" he mocked in a singsong voice, causing the group to turn to him.

Plat pulled the blanket tighter around her head, now fearing the worst. "He's silly. He does this all the time," she guaranteed herself with an eye roll. But then those thoughts were put to an abrupt halt.

One of the blazing torches had struck out at Ridge's leg and he yelped before collapsing to his knees. Suddenly, the frills were swarming over him with torches lit. They were coming rather close to his face and he screamed in agony as the fire burned his right eye.

"Ridge!" the younger tiger exclaimed, but the rumble of the pounding rain muffled her shouts.

In an attempt to get the frills away from him, Ridge threw one of his Ultrarangs at the torches and the lizards all flew back. In surprise, they retreated from the dark tiger and made their way back to their base.

In the meantime, Ridge could barely keep his eyes open—his right eye barely seeing anything except black and his left eye blurring from the pain of the scorch—and his feet dragged as he stumbled along the outback floor. The glow recoiled with the army, drowning the tiger in darkness as he fell to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.

Plat watched in agonizing silence as the frills fled and her brother fell to the ground. At any given moment she could have moved over to help but Ridge told her to stay there, against anything that happened.

The frills were gone so she should have been able to move now, but she couldn't. She was too obedient to her brother.

Suddenly, there was a rustle coming from the canopy of eucalyptus trees and she stiffened instinctively.

There was only one option for this—completely disregard whatever Ridge was talking to her about. She picked up her boomerang and threw it into the canopy, hearing it hit something, jumped out from behind the bushes and slipped next to her cataleptic brother. _Struth, I think he's dead!_ A rustle came from behind the bushes now and she froze.

Suddenly, out jumps this little koala with her boomerang in his hands. The cream tigress sighed.

"Oy, watch where you're throwing these things, kiddo. Coulda hit me if I didn't move," the koala said with a frown on his face.

"Er…" Plat started. Now what would Ridge do in a situation like this? Well, he'd probably try and say hello to check if the person wasn't dangerous. So, with that in mind, she stood up and stepped away from her brother. "G'day?" She sounded edgy, an aspect she had gotten from her mother. The koala looked at her closely, eyes widening.

"Struth! You're one of them Tazzy Tigers from Rainbow Cliffs, aren't ya!? Ma and pa'll be surprised to see one of you guys—" His gaze flicked over to the dark bundle of fur she stood in front of. He knelt down to Ridge's level and checked for a pulse. "_Two _of you guys."

"He's okay?"

The koala nodded, then a frown set into his face. "That's a nasty burn he's got on his eye, but…that aside, he'll be right."

Plat knelt beside her brother. "Can you help?"

"Course I can help. What's your name anyway, stranger?"

She seemed offended by that and put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground. "Mind yourself mate! Askin' a sheila's name and you ain't giving your own first…"

The koala nodded. "Right, sorry. The name's Donnie."

"She'll be apples. I'm Plat."

"Alrighty then, Plat. Follow me; I'll get you and your bro there back to my place. Ma and Pa'll be impressed to see the two of youse survived both a cloudburst and a crowd of frills."

Plat was glad that she was able to lift entities heavier than herself because little Donnie looked like he couldn't even carry Ridge, so she took the liberty of carrying him. They had to make their way deeper into the forest of eucalyptus trees. Donnie seemed like a rather bubbly person—he was singing _Waltzing Matilda_ all the way through the forest with a casual swagger and a smile lighting up his face. The singing had actually passed a bit of time because several small tree huts started appearing high up in the forest. Light had started to appear in the clearing and the tigress realized that the light was coming from lanterns scattered around the clearing. Little koalas started poking their heads out of the huts to see who had come.

"G'day Carly!" Donnie greeted an older girl koala.

"Donnie! Ma and Pa have been looking high and low for you! Where have you…?" Carly started prattling but then she saw the little cubs behind him—one on the verge of crying, the other lying motionless in the girl's arms. "Ma? Pa! Come quick!"

Two older koalas looked down from the hut they were residing in and stared in shock at the two cubs. The couple climbed down with an equal look of amazement.

"Oh my goodness!" the mother figure exclaimed. "Donnie, where have you been?"

"I was just going out of the forest to get a drink. But then I find these two standing in the storm."

Donnie's father looked at Plat strangely. "What's your name, child?"

"Plat…short for Platinum."

Then his gaze flicked over to Ridge. "Well, Plat, you could put your brother down on the undergrowth and I'll have Carly here try fix him up?"

For a moment, Plat was having doubts about putting Ridge down on the floor. But then she nodded and lay him down on the forest floor, which had been padded with fallen leaves.

"Hi," Plat said timidly to Carly, who had acknowledged her salutation with a wave and a little smile, before kneeling down next to her brother and grabbing several leaves from the tree hanging above her head. Carly was a more serious individual, at least when it came to fixing people. A few bystanders watched from the huts in the trees, anxiously. A hand fell on the cream tigress' shoulder and she jolted, looking over to see Donnie.

"Come on, Plat. Carly will have your brother fixed up yet," he said with a smile. "Now we better get you in step to your room."

His mother nodded and gestured for her to come inside a new hut. Plat was amazed at how big and ornate it looked on the inside. There was a shelf of books hanging above two soft beds. A candle was lit above each bed, little flowers were scattered over a rug in the centre of the room and a small bear was laid on both beds. The boy koala rubbed the back of his head.

"I took the liberty of decorating the place for any visitors…but it looks like you and your brother would be staying here for a little while longer," he admitted, sheepishly. Plat cringed slightly as she nodded.

"Thanks for helping us, Donnie," the cub said as she settled in on one of the beds.

"She'll be apples."

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**I'll be continuing with these two soon! But next we move over to Ty, Sly and Vite. **

**Stay tuned! **


End file.
